A Funny Little Thing
by cheeseandoreosHP
Summary: Hagrid pays St Mungos a visit, in order to go see Harry and Ginny's first born son. Annoying receptionists aside, this is set to be a day to remember... Especially when you factor Ginny's name choosing skills into the equation. Hagrid and James: their very first meeting.


**Author's note: So I completely owe this idea to ReadingSloth, who PMd me _aeons _ago asking if I'd write it. I, of course, fell completely in love with the idea, but promptly forgot it until now... So yeah. I hope it's exactly as you envisioned it when you first thought up the idea. Also, I've written this in a really short space of time, and I know my Hagrid is _completely _off. So I'm sorry about that, and please just bear with! Thanks for reading! **

**I don't own Harry Potter, as ever. **

If anyone had of looked out their window that July afternoon, they might have wondered what such a huge man was doing striding through the centre of London in the middle of the night, or indeed, what such a _huge _man was doing anywhere, for the man in question was almost too huge to be allowed, too huge to be normal...

Had they had time for such wonderings, however, the man in question probably wouldn't even have noticed. For the man in question was a half giant called Hagrid, and in truth, there wasn't anything normal about him at all. And he was on a mission, a mission that blessedly remained undisturbed by hapless muggles come to gawk at his mammoth size...

Hagrid was headed to St Mugoes, a hastily scrawled note stored carefully in his famous breast pocket, and nothing short of the outbreak of the third wizarding war was going to stop him getting there...

"Rubeus Hagrid." He told the receptionist. "I'm here to see Mrs Potter."

"Do you have clearance?" She asked sharply, her eyes narrowing, as if he might be hiding a wealth of explosives in his notorious moleskin coat.

Hagrid looked a little taken aback at that. "I'm here to see a new mother, not attend a Ministry conference!" He exclaimed gruffly. "I'm a family friend, see?"

She looked him up and down, as if she might doubt that. "I'm sorry, sir. Mr and Mrs Potter have both specifically requested that there be peace for both the family and the child. I think they're allowing photos to be taken for the press next week, though. Why don't you come back then?"

"What the- I'm not the ruddy press! I'm here to visit Ginny an' Harry an' the littlen, not badger 'em for bloody photos. The boy's only about 9 hours old, for Merlin's sake!"

The receptionist frowned. "I'm sorry sir, but I can't allow you-"

"Hagrid!"

Hagrid privately thought that he had never been so glad to hear Molly Weasley's voice. He spun around, beaming. "Molly! I woulda been 'ere sooner, but the owl got delayed. Storms in the West, I think."

Molly smiled back at him. "I'm sure Harry and Ginny will be only too happy that you got here safely, Hagrid. Were you having trouble getting up?"

She eyed the receptionist with distaste. Hagrid couldn't help but suppress a grin.

"Yeah, I haven't got any clearance. Ginny didn't mention..."

"Oh. It's a new thing. She was attracting an awful lot of attention in that public ward, you know, the chosen ones wife and child and all that. Anyway, there'll be no need for that." She looked at the receptionist. "He's with me."

The receptionist didn't look happy about it, but she let them up. Molly beamed at Hagrid.

"How's Madam Maxine?"

Hagrid waved a hand airily, almost bowling over a staff carrying a vial of bubbling purple liquid that looked like it had been found in a mad scientists lab. "Fine, fine. How's Ginny? I only jus' heard. Maxine and I were jus' sittin' down to tea when the owl came through."

"She's excellent. Already thinking about returning to the Harpies after her leave's over, fit as a fiddle. She said it was easy as sneezing, but Harry reckons she removed the bones in his hand all over again."

"And the baby? A boy?"

Molly beamed so wide you would've thought her face was about to split in two. "Oh, Hagrid, just you wait until you see him! He's the most beautiful little thing... About the size of a loaf of bread, and with the most beautiful brown eyes already... But he's just the spit of Harry! Oh, here we are!" She turned to him. "Make sure to keep your voice down, won't you? Everyone's a tad exhausted. Most of the brothers were here earlier, and you can imagine the kind of racket they created..."

Hagrid smiled. "Best behaviour. Promise."

Molly smiled, and pushed the door open gently. "Ginny dear. You have a visitor."

"Who is it?" Ginny asked. She sounded tired, Hagrid thought. Then again, he could hardly blame her. "If it's George again, tell him to get lost until he can learn how to-"

"Mornin'." Hagrid smiled as he poked his head around the door. Ginny's eyes widened, and Harry sat up a little straighter. "If it's a bad time, I can jus'-"

"No! No! Hagrid! I'm a mess, as well. Oh my goodness, we didn't expect you until tomorrow!" Ginny exclaimed.

"Yeah, well." Hagrid grinned. "I couldn' wait 'til then. Apparated as soon as I heard. How is he?"

"He's just woken, actually." Harry said, ushering Hagrid into his seat. "Anxious to meet you, no doubt. He's already a troublemaker in the making. A regular Fred and George."

Ginny scowled. "I swear to Merlin, Potter, if your son turns out anything like-"

"Kidding, Gin." Harry said hastily, backing away with his hands in the air, before winking at Hagrid and gesturing at the crib at the other side of the room, where healers were running some tests. "I'll just go fetch him, Hagrid. Or at least... I will, so long as they'll let me anywhere near him."

Hagrid beamed, and turned to Ginny. "I was one of the first people to hold your husband over there, you know."

Ginny's interest sharpened perceptively, all hint of exhaustion vanishing from her face. "Did you really? And what was he like?"

Hagrid wrinkled his nose. "He cried a lot."

Ginny groaned, her head falling back on the pillow. "That's my life sorted out for the next 3 years or so, then. It's been nice knowing you, Hagrid."

Hagrid laughed. "He was a lovely baby. Lily and James doted on him. He'd just whimper and they'd be there. It was funny... Seeing them like that..." He trailed off, the nostalgic expression fading from his face as he recalled the night Dumbledore had come gravely into his hut to inform him that his favourite ex students were gone. That their son, the son they'd given anything to protect, was now an orphan...

But that was a different day. A different story. A different child. The first time he'd held Harry, he'd known there was something special about him. And now, 21 years later, here he was, about to hold Harry's son... Nothing, absolutely _nothing _could make him happier.

"Here he is." Harry smiled, cradling the baby gently as he walked over to Hagrid.

"Careful, Harry!" Called Mrs Weasley fretfully. "Make sure his head is supported, and for the love of Merlin, make sure you don't drop him! Babies are so fragile, we so often-"

"He's fine, mum." Ginny cut across her mother, almost laughing at the idea of Harry, who had practically raised Teddy Lupin and saved the wizarding world, managing to drop his son. "He's had plenty of practice."

Harry grinned at them both. "It's fine. I've got him." He looked down into his son's face, with that faraway, tender look so often seen on the faces of utterly infatuated parents. "This is Hagrid. Hagrid, this is the baby."

"You can stop calling him 'the baby', you know." Ginny said, strong traces of laughter in her voice. "He has a name."

Hagrid was hardly paying attention as the warm bundle was placed in his arms. Warmth seeped through the supple, almost spider silk soft cloth of the baby grow, and the huge brown eyes Molly had promised stared out at him from the folds of cloth.

Mrs Weasley, however, looked almost panicked as she stared from Harry to Ginny. "You- You've selected a name, Harry dear?"

"It was Ginny's idea, mostly." Harry allowed, with a small smile.

At this, Hagrid's attention _was _caught, panic welling up at he stared at the baby's hand, reaching out and flailing through the cold air, an inquisitive limb searching for something to grasp onto, as if he too sensed how monumental this moment might be.

Hagrid didn't trust himself to speak, looking at Harry wide eyed...

It had been something of a running joke in the family, Ginny's baby naming capabilities. This was, after all, the young girl that named an owl Pigwidgeon. And in spite of her 20 years, she didn't seem to have improved in the whole naming department one jot...

Now she was a mother, however, the amusement her family had felt at her bizarre choices was quite rapidly deteriorating into panic.

Harry took a deep breath. "We've decided to name him-"

"Bristol-Pheonix! Brilliant, eh?" Ginny beamed, looking around the room with a proud smile.

"Ginny, dear." Molly said weakly, staring at Hagrid, aghast. "Don't you think it's a bit... eccentric, for a baby? You have to remember... Little boy will have whatever name you chose for the rest of his life."

Ginny's bottom lip trembled, her eyes welling with tears. "You- you don't like it, mum?"

"No! NO, darling, no of course. I love it! I just think-" She looked appealingly at Hagrid and Harry for support.

Ginny was trembling. "Just think what?"

"Well, it's just a bit... grown up for a baby, innit, Harry?" Hagrid asked, looking wide eyed at his former student with something akin to shock.

It took a moment for Hagrid to realise that both Harry and Ginny had burst out laughing. He looked from one to the other, the baby in his arms all but forgotten.

"You're faces!" Harry gasped, clutching his sides.

"Oh! I can't wait to try that on Ron!" Ginny cried, gasping for breath.

"Oh! You two!" Molly cried, through a smirk was playing at her lips. "You're too much!"

"Sorry Mum." Ginny grinned, looking at Harry. "We couldn't resist."

Molly harhumped, looking at them. "I can only pray that the name you've really chosen is more sensible. You have chosen?"

Harry looked at Ginny, something flashing in his eyes.

"Yeah." He said carefully, almost as if he was hiding something.

"So?" Molly demanded, her hands on her hips.

"Well, I thought it'd be nice if-" Ginny started.

"James." Harry said, looking at the baby. "We've decided to call him James."

Molly looked at Ginny, equally shocked. "You came up with that?" She asked.

"Yeah. You... Do you like it?"

"Like it?" Molly said, tears in her eyes. "Like it? Oh, Harry. Ginny. It's wonderful!"

"Hagrid?" Ginny asked.

"James, eh?" Hagrid asked, smiling at the now sleeping baby. "Welcome to the world, baby James."


End file.
